


Untitled as of yet bc I’m tired

by MarxMochiii



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, Fluffy close friend things :3, John & cortana, human!Cortana, i wrote this on 2 hours of sleep in 2 days please be nice to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28297416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarxMochiii/pseuds/MarxMochiii
Summary: John just wants to be happy with his friends and sometimes that means having to seek them out himself.
Relationships: Cortana & John-117 | Master Chief
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	Untitled as of yet bc I’m tired

John lay in the vague warmth of his bed and listened to the sound of his own breathing. In, out, in, out. Perfectly even and measured. Nothing like Cortana’s; her breathing changed frequently. Her pattern slowed and sped up, was cut off by a yawn, or a stretch, or a sigh. It was at best irregular and he’d found a form of comfort in trying to find a pattern in it every night with her laying in her own bed next to his. This base offered separate rooms, though, and the absence of Cortana’s subconscious noise made his feel incredibly empty, for a room no bigger than a metre and a half across. 

For another hour, John tossed and turned in his bed. When Cortana couldn’t sleep, she’d go to him. She’d find his room in the sea of doors along their hallway and bury herself in his blankets, regardless of if he was in them or not. When he was in them, she’d press herself right up against his body, taking all the warmth she could get and sometimes he’d even get a hug out of it. 

Would she mind if he went to her? She had trouble sleeping enough as it was, he didn’t want to catch her on a night she actually managed to rest. Something in the back of his mind told him he should know whether or not he could. He was forty-five years old and could plow through a hoard of enemies without batting an eyelid but when it came to basic social cues, he was clueless. Though, he could give himself the benefit of the doubt and say he’d never had a friend as close as Cortana before. He was close to his spartans, of course, but it didn’t feel the same. This wasn’t like a brotherly or sisterly fondness he had with Blue team, she was close to being considered family but not quite. After mulling it over for another half an hour -“Don’t think too hard, John, you’ll break something” he could almost hear her saying, the snarky minx- he decided yes. He could go to her. She wouldn’t go to him if she wouldn’t offer the same. 

He hoped.

After untangling himself from his blankets, John slipped his gym shoes on and headed for Cortana’s room. This base was old and didn’t have a separate area for spartans so they just crammed them and the ODSTs together. A bad move, generally speaking, but this once, badly thought out arrangements had worked in his and Cortana’s favour. Even if he did get backhanded insults every now and again. Cortana was usually there to glare at her fellow ODSTs and he took a little satisfaction out of watching them wilt under her piercing blue gaze alone. He knew exactly what it felt like, he’d been unfortunate enough to be glared at before and even he had felt himself shrink under her eyes. He was glad to have been wearing armour. 

Oh, he was at her door already. He was kind of hoping it’d take longer; he’d never actually been to her room before. Well, he could either stand there like an idiot or knock and wait for an answer. He brought his fist up to the door and knocked a few times. Just quick, little taps. No response? She must be asleep- The door opened. There she stood, in his hoodie he’d let her borrow earlier in the day, and some soft joggers that looked a little too big for her. Her dark hair was out of its usual bun and sat just above her shoulders. 

“Hey, Chief, something up?” She greeted, eyes blinking slowly against the harsh light of the corridor. It hit him, he had no idea what he wanted to say.  
Um…  
“No…” was all he managed. Nice one, John. Real poetic.  
“Okay…” Cortana raised an eyebrow, “Would you like to come in?”  
“If… that’s okay,” John resisted the urge to worry his lip and shuffle his weight to the other leg. Cortana stepped out of the way and he ducked under the doorframe into her room. He heard the door behind her close. It smelt of her in here. The layout was practically the same as his room’s. Bed to the left, desk to the right, empty shelves above that. The only difference was that she had three COM-pads on her bed. She was probably hacking something.

“What’re you doing with them?” John asked, pointing to the tablets.  
“Hacking, what else?” Cortana smiled. Called it, John thought.  
“Nothing that’ll get you in too much trouble?” John looked at her, or the top of her head, really. She was very small.  
“A little treason never hurt anyone,” she looked up at him with a smile and chuckled at the face he made, “I’m joking, it’s not that interesting.” 

A moment passed of not quite awkward silence. He felt like it was his turn to say something but nothing came to mind.  
“What’d you come here for anyway?” he heard her ask, “You never venture this far into ODST town.” Oh yeah.  
“I…” John’s hand began playing with a loose string on his joggers, “Couldn’t sleep.” Another moment passed and John felt an apology on the tip of his tongue -sorry, I shouldn’t have bothered you- but Cortana cut him off before he could even open his mouth.

“Would you like to steal my bed?” John stared at her, stupidly, for a second. Maybe two. Or five. She wasn’t saying no. She wasn’t saying no!  
“I don’t want to kick you out-“  
“You won’t, I’m nearly finished on these, I’ll join you in a minute,” she shrugged, sat on the chair in front of her desk and reached for a COM-pad, “I was going to go to your room anyway.” Oh. Ok, then. John felt a small smile pull at the corners of his mouth and he silently took his shoes off. Cortana took this as confirmation he was staying and turned around in her chair to lean her head in her left hand, elbow placed on the corner of the desk.

John sat on her bed- did the UNSC have to buy ones that creaked if you so much as breathed near them?- and lay down, covering himself in her blanket. It was too small, but knowing her, Cortana will have stolen it in about an hour anyway.

John lay in the vague warmth of Cortana’s bed, blanket not even reaching his ankles, it was so small and he listened to her breathing. In, out, in, sigh, in...

**Author's Note:**

> When the master chief calls you a minx amirite kids


End file.
